District 9: Life after Earth
by GrievousGirl19
Summary: What if "Wikus van der Merwe" was really "Ashlee Wikus"? Find out what happens when Christopher Johnson, his son Oliver, and Ashlee leave Earth in search of a cure for Ashlee's fast moving mutation ,and a miracle to free Christopher's people. CJ/OC
1. The Get Away Plan

Chapter 1

Once the command module was securely in place aboard the mother ship Christopher Johnson could activate the ship's hyperdrive and travel away from the god forsaken planet bellow them. "Father," called Oliver, Christopher's son, who was kneeling down next to a small human body ", she's not gonna' make it!" Christopher turned his head enough to see his son standing in a pool of human blood.

"Keep her stabilized until we get away from this planet."Clicked Christopher.

"But Father! She's lost to much fluid!!" She groaned as the Command module attached itself upon the mother ships under side.

"Keep her stable, son."

"But -!" Oliver was cut off by the overpowering voice of his father.

"Keep her stable!" Christopher was naturally a clam, level headed being, and was used to keeping his true emotions from surfacing on the outside, but now his mind and face echoed with worry and fearful excitement. One reason for the erratic behavior was the urgency to escape the human clutches of Earth, and the other was the status of their human . . . well . . . almost human companion, Ashlee Wikus.

The former MNU worker was assigned to regroup Christopher and the rest of his kind to the new District 10, which was worse then what had been District 9, but somehow ended up getting sprayed by alien fuel. . . resulting in the fast mutations of her DNA structure. Their deal was that if she could get the fuel back from the NMU building to power the command module, then Christopher would fix Ashlee's DNA so that she wouldn't turn fully into one of them. She could go back to her normal life and he back home.

They succeeded in retrieving the fuel, but, to Ashlee's surprise, it would take Christopher three years to make her completely human. She didn't take the news so good. Shortly after the fact he was knocked out by a 2 by 4. She was mostly human then, besides the alien arm tissue, but now it was getting hard to tell a part the conglomeration of human from prawn.

She lay on the floor of the small command module gasping for air and barfing out blood. Oliver was attempting to clog or stitch up pieces of human flesh falling off Ashlee's arms, but it was no use. The blood was just pouring.

Once the ship's systems were warmed up, Christopher took control of the ship and hovered higher and higher. Exiting the atmosphere was rocky and painful to her, Christopher could tell. Every twitch of the ship sent waves of pain sending Ashlee into grunting and screaming. After a while the mother ship managed to breach Earth's Atmosphere. With no hesitation he sent the ship into light speed. Christopher sent the ship in auto pilot until the destination of his home planet. "Father!" Oliver sounded distressed. Christopher anxiously got up from the command chair and rushed back to his son and Ashlee. Oliver was on the edge of tears . . . Christopher could see why. Oliver whimpered "She's not breathing . . .!" he then broke out into chirping fits of sobbing. Ashlee was dead.

"No . . . she can't be . . . NO!" Christopher grabbed up Ashlee's body in his hands. "No." Besides his lab partner, who was shot in the head by humans, Ashlee was the only friend that He and his son had known.

"Why father . . . Why?" Oliver asked between heavy crying. "Why?" Christopher wasn't sure what to say to his little one. He pulled her body closer to him.

"I . . . I don't know. Sometimes, son, it's . . . it's the way of things." This did nothing to comfort Oliver. Just as Christopher was about to place the body on the cold, metallic floor . . . he felt something pulsate underneath his fingers. "Wait." He felt again. Now if Christopher understood human anatomy correctly he was able to place his fingers in the side of her neck and feel a pulse. He did this, and there it was again. A pulse! "She's not dead!"

"What . . . ?" Oliver seemed to perk up. "She's . . . alive?"

"Hurry, boy! Fetch me the hose!"

"Wha-?" Oliver stood frozen.

"The hose, hurry! She's not dead!" screamed Christopher. Without another second hesitation Oliver scampered over to retrieve the device for his father. Immediately after receiving the hose, Christopher shoved it into Ashlee's esophagus.

"What are you doing?!" shrieked Oliver. He shook his father's arm.

"Her lungs are filled with blood. She can't breathe! Turn the pump on reverse." Directed Christopher. Following his father's directions, Oliver flipped the switch to power up the machine then turned the knob to reverse. Ashlee's body shook as the pump and hose began to fill up with dark red fluid. More than likely the blood that filled her lungs. Her eyes flashed opened. "Ok. Turn it off!" Off went the machine as Christopher lifted Ashlee up.

You could tell that she was choking on the tube. Christopher yanked out the tube just as she purged a load of bloody vomit from her mouth to splatter all over his face. "You Fucker . . . ," She gasped for air ", why didn't you let me die?" She sat up on her own. "It would have been lots easier on you." More vomit sprang from her mouth and landed on the ground. She looked up at him. Christopher held still afraid of getting human extracts all over his face anywhere else. Oliver giggled.

"You ok now?" chirped Oliver. She looked down at the youth. His little face was lightened up by a human like smile. Ashlee couldn't help but smile back.

"I guess so," she looked back up at Christopher who was now whipping off his face of the human vomit ", but I think we could use some showers." Oliver Giggled.


	2. Plie O' Bodies

Chapter 2

The mother ship was a mess. Of course without any inhabitants for twenty some odd years it would go to hell. Ashlee remembered when the mother ship first came to Earth. At first she and her hippy parents lived in the states, but they moved to be closer to their "saviors". Now that she thought of it Ashlee might have been five when she had her first encounter with an alien. Aw well another story for a later day.

The three of them, Christopher, Oliver, and Ashlee, walked until they came to an enormous, dome shaped room. They looked about. There was barely any light in the whole place. "Where are we?" asked Ashlee.

"This was the main hold."

"What did it hold?" She looked over to see Christopher staring at her through the corner of his eye. She noted that His eyes held most of his emotions, and this time they read shame.

"Us." Now she felt bad. Before she could spout an apology Christopher pointed to a nearby hallway across the room. "The bathing rooms will be that direction." They pressed forward until a strange smell filled the air.

"Ugh! What is that?!"Ashlee held her hands to her nose.

"I don't know," you could hear Christopher sniff the air ", wait here. I'm going to find a flashlight." And with that he was gone, leaving Ashlee and Oliver alone in the hallway.

"I'm scared . . . ," she looked down to see a terrified prawn clinging to her pants leg ", and um . . . can you hold me?" What was she to do? She could feel him shaking profoundly. He really was scared. Finally mother instinct had taken place and Ashlee was soon cradling Oliver in her arms. "Are you scared to?" She looked into his innocent eyes.

"Yep . . . me to." They waited in the darkness together until Christopher came back into sight. He turned it on to Ashlee's back. He then noticed that his son was not at her side.

"Where's Oliver?" she turned reveling Oliver snuggled up in her arms. Christopher didn't expect that.

"I'm here," cooed Oliver ", I'm all right, father." Christopher stared at the female. She shrugged.

"He was scarred . . . Now can you do us all a big favor, and point that light ahead of us so we can see where were going?" Christopher was amused to see that she could still act brave even though she was shivering from head to toe. It was kind of cute. Wait! Cute? That was a ridicules thought. He pointed the flash light forward, but soon wished he didn't. Ashlee gasped and covered Oliver's eyes. They had found the source of the smell.

All along the floor were mummified prawn corpuses . . . some looked fresh. It made Ashlee and Christopher gag in disgust. "My god . . . God!! Christopher?"He stood there . . . light in hand. "Christopher?!" he turned to her. "Get us out of here, now!!" She began to go the opposite way of the rotting flesh. She was soon followed by Christopher.

"We'll find another way around!!" shouted Christopher. As the distance grew bigger and bigger apart from them and the bodies the smell seemed to disappear.

Christopher scouted ahead in the hallways ahead of them. They had found a holographic map and were using it as a guide to the bathes. The longer, but yet rotting fleshed way, left Ashlee sweating. She needed a shower bad and now. All at once Christopher pointed ahead and said "There," it was a dark doorway ", that's the women's bath, and just a little further down is the men's." he turned to Ashlee whom was still holding Oliver. He was sleeping.

Ashlee was sweating really badly and was beginning to smell . . . I mean they all smelled, but she smelled just a little worse. Christopher led the way. They filled in the women's bath side by side. Their very sent the bathroom with bright lights. There in the middle of the room was an enormous metal tub. Ashlee guessed it was where she was so post the get clean. "You shall go first." Christopher motioned for her to hand over the sleeping babe. She tried, but his hands were curled in her hair.

"Umm . . . help?" they attempted the retrieve the little prawn, but no luck. He wouldn't let go. Then they both heard him whimper something, something so quite that they had to wait for a second time.

"Mama . . ." Ashlee then noticed that Oliver began to cry ". . . Mama." She looked at Christopher. His face was blank. He hadn't heard that word escape Oliver's mouth since . . . since she was killed.

"What happened to his mother?" She caught on. Ashlee knew something was wrong.

"She died." Christopher then claimed his son from Ashlee.

"How?" There was an awkward silence between the two until Christopher spoke.

"Humans."And with that he cradled Oliver in his arms and left Ashlee to cleanse.


	3. Awkward Shower Time

Chapter 3

Ashlee watched as Christopher walked out of the bathroom, Oliver in hand. Even though Ashlee had only known Christopher for three days, she thought she had an understanding of his personality. He was very smart, civil and lonely. All he had was his work and his son, Oliver, not to mention, his mate had been killed by humans. Ashlee wondered how Oliver had done without a mother all these years. Of course he had a Father for guidance and love, but no maternal link to any female of his own kind.

She shoved the thoughts from her mind and began to undress. She felt eerily strange to change in the open, cold bathroom, but she had to if she wanted a shower. First off were her worn shoes and holey socks, then her bloodied, torn, blouse and work certified pants. Now came the tough one…her underwear and bra. Did she have the guts to take them off? She did. She folded and placed them neatly beside the rest of her garments…now came the tricky part. "How do I turn the water on?"

***

Christopher cradled his sleeping son in his arms. Eventually Oliver would have to be awakened so he could bathe. A big splash came from the bathroom. Christopher thought about running into see what the problem was, but instead, he stuck his head in. On his planet the nakedness of another was common to see, so when Ashlee yelled, "You fucking peeping tom! Go the hell away!" it was a surprise. Christopher drew his head back from the doorway as fast as he could, before another barrage of words could slap him in the face.

For the few seconds Christopher had stuck his head in the doorway, he had gotten a pretty graphic image of Ashlee's anatomy. She was shorter than a prawn with luscious curves and broads shoulders. She had short black hair and her eyes had changed from blue to the golden brown color of Christopher's race. She had begun to change from human to alien. Her left arm and bits and pieces of her back were partly alien flesh. Ashlee was beginning to fit the body structure of a Prawn female. "Weird".

***

After thoroughly bathing in the blue water, Ashlee decided to wash her clothes…considering that they were covered in dirt, vomit and blood. She started with her underwear and bra. She then washed the socks, pants and shirt. She had no need to wash her shoes. They would just get dirty again. Ashlee raised letting water droplets fall on the floor. Then she notices something, there were no towels. How in the hell was she supposed to get herself and her clothes dry? "The dryer is in the back corner', clicked Christopher from the hallway "Just stand underneath it".

"What?"

"Just look up in the back corner and you'll see it." Even though Christopher was now in her mind, a peeper…he had his usefulness. She gathered her wet clothes and went to the corner. There in the ceiling was something that looked like a giant hole. "Did you find it?" asked Christopher.

"Yea…I think."

"Cover yourself." Demanded Christopher. The last time he saw her naked it didn't end well, and he didn't wasn't another foul example of the English language thrown at him.

"Oh, no you don't! You are not coming in here…are you?" Without warning, in walked Christopher. Ashlee quickly wrapped her wet blouse around her body. "You Pervert!"

"Calm down", whispered Christopher, "you turn it on by walking underneath it." He demonstrated. As he walked underneath the hole, a blast of air came rushing out. As soon as he stepped out from beneath it, the fan stopped. "You try."

"No!" She shouted.

"Why not?" He crossed his arms.

"Because you are here, and-" She looked around, " . . . Where is Oliver?" Christopher sighed and rubbed his fingers to his temples. He was starting to get quite agitated with the human.

"He's in the hallway."

"Well maybe you need to go and be a good Father and make sure he doesn't find all of those bodies down the way!" Her words dripped with sarcasm and he hated it. "I can handle myself from here." In her blind fury, she stepped under the dryer, and with its mighty wind, the fan knocked her shirt out of her hands and onto the floor revealing her womanhood to Christopher. He could feel his face grow hot and his skin tighten.

She awkwardly collected the shirt and put it back around her. "Did you see anything?" she asked. A pause.

"Yes." He wasn't sure what to do. He could feel the skin covering his manhood tighten more and tingle. Christopher's body was reacting to the pheromones from Ashlee. They stood there for a moment in awkwardness until Christopher said, "I-I'm going to watch Oliver."

"Good idea", she fumbled the words. "This …this moment doesn't leave this room, got it?" He paused in his walk.

"Of course". Christopher was anxious to leave the room. Her scent was unmistakably virgin…

***

She was terrified and angered. She couldn't believe what bad luck she had been having! Why couldn't she just die? Why couldn't she just go away forever. Then she remembered Christopher had saved her life more than once in the past three days. Most of the time being saved was pleasant. But when she was drowning in her own blood…she really wanted to die. Why hadn't he let her? A sense of honor, perhaps? Or was it pity for the mutant freak? Soon she would find out.

When she was completely dry, she dressed herself and walked out into the hallway to confront Christopher. But she was instead faced by darkness. "Christopher?" Nothing. "Oliver?" Still nothing. "Christopher?!" Absolute silence. She hated the dark.

"Yes, Ashlee?" she jumped as a little prawn hand grasped her pointer finger. "I'm here."

"Oh . . . ok." She looked around. "Where's your father?"

"He's over here!" Oliver pulled on her hand. "Follow me!" they walked about twenty feet until Ashlee could see the other doorway to the men's bath. It was flooded with light. Oliver stopped.

"What's wrong?"

"Father told me to stop when I started to smell something bad."

"The nasty smell? I don't-", the smell of the rotting bodies burned her nose, "oh god. Get back Oliver!" she pushed the little prawn behind her. "Stay here!" Oliver didn't understand the fear radiating from her, but he understood her request. He waited patiently while she checked out the area.

She smell was overpowering. It caused Ashlee to vomit, but she continued towards the light engulfed doorway. Once there she peeped in. it was definitely a bathroom, but, unlike the other one it had shower looking things spraying water from the ceiling. It was so hot and steamy that she couldn't see a foot in front of her. She then heard several clicks. "Christopher?" Ashlee whispered. Finally she could make out a moving shape in the steam. "Christopher . . ." the shape stopped moving.

"Yes?"

"Never mind, I just wanted to se if your were all right." That was alive. She really wanted to know was . . . why let her live?

"Alright . . . I'm fine." The shape moved again, but Ashlee didn't. She wanted to know. She needed to know. "Do you need something?"

"I'll ask you later." Ashlee began to walk away, but stopped when she heard the footsteps of Christopher. They didn't sound happy. Before she knew it he had her pinned against the wall.


	4. Can I has Mama Now?

Chapter 4

He could see her chest move up and sown with ever raspy breath she took "Why not let you die? That's the question?" she shook her head. "I did it so I could turn you back to a full human," he backed away ", that was the deal." Christopher began to walk away and be finished with the damn question . . . but Ashlee wasn't.

"Maybe I wanted to die." Christopher stopped. "I was a 33 year old human with goals, a life, friends . . . and now," she raised her left arm ", it's all gone!!" he had it. Christopher wasn't sure if it was the pheromones radiating off her, but it caused him to, once again, corner Ashlee against the wall. Her human face went from anger to fear. He was big, built, strong, and intimidating.

With a low growl Christopher said "Do you think this life is all about you?" his hands dug deep into her shirt, what was he to do with her? Beat her? Kill her?

"No."

"Then why do you act like it?" he had a point. "You talk about yourself as you're the only one suffering." He pulled her in closer. Ashlee's breath was hard against his neck. Do you care about anyone else?"

"Yes, but-!"

"No buts!" He shook her a little. By now Christopher had a hold of her shirt pretty tight and was about five inches away from her face. Ashlee wasn't sure if it was the tight space, sticky steam, or if she was actually . . . "Feeling" something, but she could feel her checks go crimson hot. Christopher noticed and leaned into her ear. "Don't know how others feel?" Her sent was unbearable. It was the smell of a small, defenseless animal awaiting their doom. He could take her if he wanted to . . . it could have been so easy, but before he could do anything she turned away to stare down at her feet.

"I get your point." All at once all of Christopher's urges seemed to disappear, leaving him in a complete utter shock.

"G-good," he released her ", excuse me. The little one is waiting for me." And with that he disappeared, leaving Ashlee all alone in the hot bathroom. Her face still burned strong . . . and true. She confessed to herself that, in the heat of the moment, she wouldn't have minded if he had . . . **done **something.

***

Oliver loved this new sensation of bathing. He imagined that his father's planet had ponds, rivers, lakes, seas, and oceans . . . especially an ocean. Oliver hoped that it wouldn't be like District 9 . . . not another District 9. Oliver was daydreaming when in walked Christopher. "Are you done yet?"

"No! This is fun!" Oliver splashed the surface of the water. Christopher gave a very human like chuckle. "Father? Does home have water?"

"Of course it does."

"Really?" Oliver clicked excitingly.

"Really, now come. Its time to get out."

"Aw, so soon?" more splashes. More Chuckles. Oliver smiled up at his father who was smiling back at him. Christopher had been truly blessed when his mate had brought Oliver into the world. With his father's help, Oliver was dried and dressed. "Real clothes?"

"Yes my son, real clothes." Oliver was dressed in a light blue jumpsuit made especially for young ones. Oliver never felt something so soft before, but it did remind him of something. It carried the smell of his Mama. Even though Oliver had never met her . . . he always wondered what she looked like, and more importantly what she acted like.

Oliver thought for a moment. He attempted to build the perfect mother in his mind, but the only vision close to a real Mama was . . . was Ashlee. "Father?"

"Yes?"

"Can I call Ashlee Mama?" it took Christopher a few seconds what his small son had just asked. "Father?" Oliver stared up as his seemingly stunned father. "Father?"

"Son," Christopher knelt down to reach eye level with his son ", that title doesn't belong to her." How to explain to someone so young that, at least what he could gather from her behavior, didn't give a damn for any one of their species . . . "She's a friend, not your mother. No one could ever take your mother's place. Got it?" Oliver sighed.

"Yes Father."

"good boy."


	5. Periods and Pheromones, Not Good

Chapter 5

Ashlee returned to the command module shortly after Christopher left her in the "men's" washrooms. She arrived all alone. There to the contemplating on what Christopher had said and done. _"Do you care about anyone else?" _rang in her mind.

She came to the conclusion that he was acting out of instinct. Why else would he act . . . **that** way? Perhaps he really did . . . care? In their somewhat confrontational situation, he had said a lot of his true feelings about her . . . about himself. Christopher had shown his dominating, terrifying side while Ashlee on the other hand had shown nothing but cowardice, and defeat. She hated to admit it but she was a selfish, horrible, and loathsome excuse of a human.

Then something dawned to her. She wanted . . . Christopher?! She wanted a prawn?! Perhaps, in that moment, had she grown humility and come to the thought that Christopher was more than a simple, cannibalistic, alien but instead a fellow equal? She did. She most certainly did. She covered her ace with her sleeve. Ashlee didn't want anyone to see her tears. No one.

***

A door opened and in walked Christopher, followed by Oliver. They booth noticed the sleeping Ashlee on the floor. Had see been that tired to sleep on cold metal? Apparently she was. She has curled herself into a small bal for warmth. Christopher walked on while Oliver stopped and studded her in depth. "Father?"

"Yes son?" clicked Christopher.

"What's with the streaks on her face?" Christopher tilted his head.

"What?" he walked back over to them and knelt down to their level. He looked over Ashlee's face, and indeed marks on her face . . . tear marks. Oliver seemed frightened.

"Is she hurt again?" he was frantic to retrieve an answer from his father. Christopher had known she'd been crying . . . and he had a pretty good idea why. Just as he was about to answer his son, he caught a whiff of something. He shunned it away but it came back for round two. He sniffed out its source. That didn't take long. "Father?"

"Oliver, I need you to stand in the hall for a minute . . . ok?" they both were whispering.

"Why? Is something wrong?"

"No," he looked away from Ashlee and back to his son ", but I need to check something." Oliver obeyed. When Oliver was out of the way Christopher could check . . . well . . . he already knew what it was.

Designated people of his species were given hormone boosters to enhance their DNA to match of a "Female", if you could even call them that. Oliver's mother was one of the few to have a complete transformation, but wasn't the point. The point was that these selected few would enter a heat of some sort so that the general population of the workers would grow, and it seemed that Ashlee had entered her human heat. Not good . . . for she was 33, a descent human age, and plump for breeding.

Christopher edged up when he felt something grab a hold of his thigh. It was Ashlee, he could feel her lips against his knee, her hands to hold of his inner thigh and outer hip, and her breath eased over his skin. Christopher could feel his skin tighten tenfold. He was turned on. He couldn't handle it. He leaned in. His hand grasped hold on her hip. He then very gently eased Ashlee under him to where he loomed over her. He could do it. He knew he could. But would he? Ashlee squirmed and her eyes opened. Her face went from "tired nap" to "oh crap". "What-are-you-doing?" she spat between closed teeth. She attempted to get up but was forced back down. "Let me go!!" his body was acting out on its own. He couldn't stop himself. Christopher leaned in to her neck. Her pheromones were raging out of control . . . unstoppable. "Stop that!!"

"Why?" he breathed in harder causing a throbbing pulse up and down his manhood. Prawn's sex organs were tucked inside them until needed. It wouldn't have been to long until Christopher couldn't hold his in any more.

"Because," she struggled to escape ", if you continue something bad is going to happen!" she knew her weeks. She knew it was her time. That's what must have sent Christopher on the prowl, but in that short amount of time? Prawns were a confusing race.

"What if I want something bad to happen?" he needed to stop. He wanted her, but needed to stop. Christopher attempted to release her, but another wave of Pheromones hit him again. He then noticed that she had steadily quiet.

Before things had gotten out of control Ashlee wriggled one of her hands free and gave Christopher a hard punch to the chest cavity. He folded over in pain as Ashlee escaped. She ran out of the control room and passed Oliver in the hallway. "Ashlee?" she was gone. Oliver walked in and looked over to his father who was crippled on the floor."Father? Father?! Di something happen?" no response. "Father?"

"Silence, Son!" snapped Christopher. Something was wrong he could sense it in his father's voice. Oliver, being a brave soul, trailed out after the human.


	6. Mama Resume?

Chapter 6

It was hard to see without a light to guide him, but Oliver did not have trouble following her. Ashlee's fast pacing footsteps made the hall way come to life with sound and vibrations. Oliver was getting tired of running, fortunately the footsteps slowly ceased to a stop. Up in front of him Oliver saw the outline of Ashlee slump against a nearby wall and eventually fall to the ground. Oliver approached her very cautiously. He did not want to startle her. "Ashlee?"

***

She slowly turned to face the small prawn. "Wh . . . what do you want?" He was just a child. His blue eyes look up at her. She didn't know what to say.

"Are you ok?" He scooted closer to her. She was looking down at the floor . . . puzzling her answer. "Did something happen between you and father?" Ashlee froze. He was a fast little bugger.

"I-," Ashlee couldn't get the words out ". . . you shouldn't be near my right now Oliver." Oliver didn't understand . . . she could tell by his features. "It . . . It's not safe."

"Not safe?"

"Yeah so . . . ."

"Why not safe?"

"Because," he was as, if not more, persistent than Christopher ". . . it's dangerous right now." She didn't know what else to say. The pair remained silent until Oliver took the initiative and climbed onto her lap. Ashlee's body winced as his small body curled against her stomach.

"I sense do danger." He grasped the hem of her shirt. "I sense only sadness." Ashlee looked down at Oliver as he looked up at her. Neither of them felt any awkwardness . . . in fact they had a sense of peace. She knew why Oliver could feel sadness. It was her. She was sad for him. No mother. A bad life. A sad life. "Ashlee?"

"Hm?"

"Can . . . can you hug me?" Oliver's arms extended to her. Now was the chance if she wanted any motherly love in his life. Would she turn him down? With a gentle swoop of her arms, Oliver was neatly tucked into her bosom. How could anyone turn down those big, blue eyes? "See?" He snuggled deeper into her chest. "I told you!" he placed a small prawn kiss on her cheek "No danger."

"Yeah," She then followed up his kiss with one for him on his head ". . . I guess you are right." She cradled Oliver. As she did small Purrs admitted from the child's chest as it rose up a down. The sat in complete silence . . . so silent that Oliver had fallen asleep in her arms. _'I wonder if his mother . . .' _Ashlee's thoughts were interrupted when a large mass rounded the corner.

It was Christopher.

***

His hand was still held to his chest. Did it hurt that bad? His expression was a mixture of embarrassment and shear defeat. "I," Christopher was never good at apologies ", I'm sorry for what I did . . . for what was about to happen to be exact."He let out a prawn chuckle "I'm not used to being around a 'female' . . . not since-"

"Not since your mate died?' it was a bold question that eventually Ashlee would bring up. Christopher just didn't expect it so soon. He looked at the floor searching for the right words to reply with . . . but none came to his mind. "I'm sorry. I just . . ."

"No. I'm the one who should be asking for forgiveness." Christopher made his way to her and slid down the wall next to Ashlee. "I let myself get out of control." Ashlee looked over at Christopher. He had his face buried in his digits. "Perhaps it is time to tell you about Oliver's birth parent and how she came to be, yes?" Christopher lifted his head to glance at the human female . . . to his astonishment Ashlee's eyes were filled with human tears. Without thinking he reached his hand to her face and brushed the tears away, and surprisingly she let him.

"You not have to tell me if you don't want to." Ashlee finally spoke.

"I know," he sighed ", I know . . . but I want to tell you." He brought his face close to hers. Both could feel the others breath. Christopher's mandibles clicked as she reached out with her human lips and placed them onto his alien chin. It was a kiss . . . somewhat. He had to continue. He had to! "I want to tell you because," her lips moved from his chin, past his tentacle like feelers, and was almost an inch to Christopher's odd shaped mouth. ", because I want you to take her place." She froze.

***

Did she hear correctly? _',because I want you to take her place.'_


End file.
